Roll film magazine



June 23, 1964 H. NERWIN 3,138,081

ROLL FILM MAGAZINE Original Filed Jan. 2, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 F I D {W1 y D HM Hubert Ne n 54 INVEN $77 @4262) 21 AQMWJ ATTORNEYS June 23,1964 H. NERWIN ROLL FILM MAGAZINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Jan.2, 1962 Hubert NerWin INVENTOR.

y mdaw 119M ATTORNEYS June 23, 1964 H. NERWIN 3,138,081

ROLL FILM MAGAZINE Original Filed Jan. 2, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 J L wP51 Q 7 fig fiL/M ATTORNEYS June 23, 1964 H. NERWIN 3,138,081

ROLL FILM MAGAZINE Original Filed Jan. 2, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 HubertNerwin INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,138,081 RULL FHJM MAGAZINE HubertNerwin, Rochester, N.Y., assignor to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester,N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Original application Jan. 2, 1962,Ser. No. 163,84 Divided and this application Nov. 4, 1963, Ser. No.

4 Claims. (Ci. 95-31) The present invention relates to photographicstill cameras and roll film magazines for use therein, such cameras andmagazines therefor being of the general type described in pending US.patent application, Serial No. 129,303, filed August 4, 1961, in thename of Douglass C. Harvey. More particularly, the invention relates toroll film magazines for use in such cameras and comprising molded,plastic components. This is a divisional application of my pending US.application, Serial No. 163,843, filed January 2, 1962.

While the magazine construction disclosed and described in theabove-cited Harvey patent application overcomes many disadvantages ofprior magazines, a principal object of the present invention is tofurther simplify the construction of such magazines to reduce the costthereof to such an extent that the magazines may be loaded at thefactory and discarded by the film processor without prohibitive expenseto the customer.

Another object of the invention is to increase the rigidity of suchmagazines to minimize distortion of the film plane and to improve themeans for accurately locating the film plane with respect to the cameralens system; whereby such a magazine may be used not only in simplecameras having a relatively small lens aperture and a relatively largeacceptable circle of confusion, and consequently a relatively largepermissible deviation in the location of the film plane relative to thelens system, but also in more refined cameras in which a larger lensaperture and/or a smaller acceptable circle of confusion dictates moreaccurate positioning of the film in the focal plane.

Still another object of the invention is to further improve the lightsealing means of such magazines without employing separate light sealingelements.

Yet another object of the invention is to facilitate the assembly ofsuch a magazine by so forming the magazine body members that loading themagazine comprises merely laying a roll of unexposed film and a filmspool attached thereto in corresponding receptacles in one of the bodymembers, closing the magazine by means of another body member, andjoining the body members together.

In all but the very simplest cameras, means are provided for adjustingthe shutter speed and/ or the lens diaphragm opening to vary theexposure of the film. Regardless of the means used for determining orregulating the exposure, the speed or sensitivity of the particular filmused in the camera must be taken into consideration. In lieu of using alight meter or a camera having a built-in photo-electric exposurecontrol mechanism, the exposure adjustments are commonly made byreference to a simple table showing appropriate settings for film of aparticular sensitivity under various conditions of illumination. Suchtables are customarily supplied with the film. If, however, the camerauser does not have the appropriate table when he takes a photograph, or,if he has forgotten the type of film in the camera,-his film is apt tobe improperly exposed. Another object of the invention is therefore toprovide a disposable magazine with an appropriate exposure tablepermanently attached thereto for use with a camera adapted toaccommodate such a magazine whereby the camera has means making itpossible for the exposure table to be visible from the exterior of thecamera.

3,338,981 Patented June 23,, 1964 Other objects of the invention areapparent from the following description, references being made to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a loaded film magazineaccording to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a broken plan view of the roll film and backing paper used inthe magazine as seen from the film side;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the film magazine;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an empty magazine taken along the lines 44of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the lines 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional front elevational view of the empty filmmagazine;

FIG. 7 is a sectional View taken along the lines 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 4 showing the means employed tosupport and locate one edge of the film and backing paper in theexposure plane in the magazrne;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 5 showing the light sealing meansemployed in the film passageway of the film supply chamber of themagazine; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a camera showing a magazine in positionfor insertion into the camera.

The Film Magazine General descripti0n.As is readily apparent from FIGS.110 and more particularly from FIGS. 1 and 2, a loaded film magazine 51of a preferred form of the present invention comprises a molded plasticmagazine body 52, a molded plastic magazine cover 53, a molded plasticspool 54, a strip of light protective paper 55 attached to take-up spool54 by an adhesive paster 56, a length of film 57 attached to theprotective paper 55 by a second adhesive paster 58 and a filmidentification and exposure guide 59 attached to the magazine cover 53.In the assembled magazine the film is initially wound upon itself toform a film supply roll 61 which is housed in the film supply chamber 62formed bythe cooperation of the magazine body and the magazine back asillustrated in cross section in FIG. 5, with the backing paper extendingacross the magazine exposure opening 63 and attached to spool 54 locatedin the film spool chamber 64. With the magazine componentes so disposed,the cover member 53 is cemented or otherwise permanently joined to themagazine body 52. Since the magazine is not intended to be reloaded, anexposed roll of film is removed therefrom for processing by breaking themagazine open.

Light sealing means.ln order to prevent light from entering the magazinealong the mating edges of the body and the cover member, these edges areprovided at all points with closely fitting mating surfaces normal tothe adjacent outer surface of the magazine, as shown for example at 65and 66 of FIG. 4 and with contiguous mating surfaces as shown forexample at 67 and 68 at right angles thereto to effectively block theentry of light through the joint. As is most clearly illustrated inFIGS. 1. and 7, the light sealing means employed at the ends of the filmtake-up chamber to prevent light leakage past the spool flanges 69comprise annular ribs '71 and 72 on the magazine body 52 and the cover53 respectively, which engage circumferential grooves 73 in each of thespool flanges 69 to rotatably support and locate the film spool. Thejunctures of the ribs are protected against light leakage by overlappingmating surfaces as previously described.

Magazine film gate and film passageways.-According to the presentinvention, the portion of film to be exposed is accurately supported ina fiat plane behhrd the maga zine exposure opening by means integralwith the molded magazine components, and the magazine itself isaccurately located in the camera, as described later, to insure that thefilm in the exposure opening lies in the focal plane of the camera lenssystem. To support the film in a flat plane, the magazine cover isprovided with a flat rectangular surface 75 surrounded by a shallowrecess 76 as shown in plan view by FIG. 6 and in cross section in FIGS.4-, 5, 8 and 9. The film and backing paper are maintained in fiatsupported engagement with surface 75 by the engagement of the film witha rectangular rearwardly facing surface 77 of the magazine Wall '78surrounding the exposure opening opposite recess 76 and spaced forwardlyof surface 75 by a distance closely approximating the combined thicknessof the film and paper. Thus, as shown in enlarged views in FIGS. 8 and9, the film and paper are maintained in fiat relation against surface 75due to their natural resistance to being simultaneously flexed intransverse directions. In case the combined thickness of the film andpaper is slightly greater than the distance between the planes ofsurfaces 75 and 77, the film and paper are bowed slightly intorecess 75without materially effecting the flatness of the film in the exposureplane or causing the film to bind as it is wound across the opening.Along the top edge of the exposure opening, the magazine wall 78 isprovided with a notch 79 to accommodate the end of a metering member, asshown at 80, in FIG. 10, which is adapted to extend through the film andinto a recess 81 in the magazine cover as described in theabove-mentioned pending Harvey application. Since the film extendsbeyond the top of the notch, however, the continuous surface 77 isnarrowed but not completely interrupted thereby.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the film passageway intothe film supply chamber, the same construction, also being employed inthe passageway of the spool chamber as shown in FIG. 5. As previouslyexplained, the film is maintained in contact with surface 77 of wall 78by virtue of the resiliency of the film and paper and the correspondencebetween the combined thickness of the film and paper and the spacing ofsurfaces 75 and 77. The intimate contact thus obtained between the filmand surface 77 eliminates the need for additional light sealing elementssuch as plush or felt, and thereby the possibility of contaminating thefilm with lint or other foreign matter originating in the light seal.Since recess 76 is wider than opposing wall 78, the passageway mayfreely accommodate the adhesive paster 58 which must pass therethroughduring the initial film winding operation.

After the film and paper have been completely wound onto the take-upspool, the passageway is obviously no longer completely light tight. Atthis stage of the winding operation, however, the trailing end of thebacking paper has been wound upon the spool over the exposed film andsubstantially reduces the danger of the film being fogged by any slightamount of light entering through the passageway of the spool chamber. Asa means of further protecting the fully exposed film in the spoolchamber, cameras adapted to accommodate such magazines may be providedwith film metering mechanisms, as described in the above-identifiedpending Harvey patent application, which limit the final windingoperation of the camera to cause the end of the backing strip to remainin the passageway of the spool chamber. While the presence of the paperalone in the passageway does not provide quite as effective a light sealas does paper and film together, this arrangement, in conjunction withthe backing paper wound over the exposed film on the spool,substantially eliminates the danger of fogging the film.

Film guiding mea1zs.-As the fim and paper are wound from the supplychamber into the spool chamber, the lateral freedom of the strips in thearea of the film gate is limited by edge guides 82 and 83, moldedintegrally with the magazine body 52 as most clearly illustrated inFIGS. 1, 4 and 8. These guide members accurately center the film andpaper in the film gate and guide it onto the spool while providing justsuficient lateral freedom to allow for slight variations in the width ofthe strips. As an additional means of preventing the film from ridingover the flanges 69 of the spool 54 and causing jamming or damage to thefilm, the semi-cylindrical internal surface 34 of the spool chamberlocated between the spool flanges is of smaller radius than the flangesas shown in FIG. 7. At the point where the film strip enters the spoolchamber, similar means are employed on the magazine cover, as shown at85 of FIGS. 5 and 7, to guide the film between the spool flanges.

Magazine locating means.As shown in FIG. 10, a camera adapted toaccommodate a magazine according to the present invention may comprisein a preferred embodiment a main housing 86 provided with a centralboxlike member 87 located between two chambers 88 and 89 adaptedrespectively to freely accommodate the film supply and spool chamberportions of the magazine. A continuous rearwardly projecting rib 91 isprovided along the rearward portion of member 67, and is adapted to bereceived by a corresponding continuous channel 92 surrounding theexposure opening of the magazine as illustrated in FIGS. 6, 8 and 9. Toload the camera, the hinged cover member 93 is released by means oflatch member 94 and is moved to the position illustrated. After the filmwinding knob 95 is withdrawn, as shown, to retract the spool engagingkey, not shown, from chamber 89, the magazine is placed in the camerawith rib 91 in mating relation with channel 92. The cover member maythen be closed and the winding knob depressed to engage the key with asuitable clutch member 96 formed in one of the flanges of the filmtake-up spool. With the cover in its closed position behind themagazine, pressure pads 97 on the magazine are engaged by spring members98 on the hinged cover member to urge the magazine forward with thebottom surface 99 of channel 92 in contact with the rear surface 100 ofrib 91, thereby accurately locating the film plane of the magazine withrespect to the camera lens system 191. To prevent distortionalinfiuences on the magazine in the camera, the lateral positioning of themagazine is determined by the lateral freedom of rib 91 in channel 92 sothat other portions of the magazine are held out of contact with thecamera housing. As is readily apparent, the cooperating rib and slotstructure between the camera and magazine also serves to provide alabyrinth light barrier between the two units so that of the cameracomponents, only the box-like member 87 need be light-tight.

Exposure guide IabeL-As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and I0, an exposure guidelabel 59 appropriate to the particular type of film in a magazine may beattached to the cover thereof in the area surrounding aperture 102through which exposure indicating numerals 103, FIG. 1, are visible.With the magazine installed in the camera, the exposure guide label andthe exposure indicating numeral aligned with the aperture are visiblethrough window 104 in hinged cover member 93. Since the magazine is notintended to be reused, the appropriate label may be permanently attachedto the loaded magazine or, if desired, an appropriate guide might bemolded into the magazine back prior to assembling the magazine, in whichcase, of course, the advantage of being able to load all kinds of filminto the same magazine components would be lost.

Although the foregoing description relates to a specific embodiment ofthe invention, it is obvious that variations and modifications thereofcan be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, the present disclosure is to be considered as illustrativeand not as limiting the scope of the invention which is defined by thefollowing claims.

I claim:

1. A molded plastic film magazine comprising: a body member defining asubstantially semi-cylindrical film receptacle with closed ends, asubstantially semi-cylindrical spool receptacle with open ends providedwith an inwardly directed rib adjacent each end thereof, and anintermediate front wall member connecting said receptacles and providedwith an exposure aperture, said front wall member having a rearwardlydirected flat surface bounding said exposure aperture and forwardlydirected surfaces surrounding said exposure aperture to define acontinuous slot thereabout; a cover member comprising means cooperatingwith said film receptacle to define a closed substantially cylindricalchamber with a passageway tangential thereto adjacent one side of saidexposure aperture, means on said cover member cooperating with saidspool receptacle to define a substantially cylindrical open-ended spoolchamber having a film passageway tangential thereto and adjacent theopposite side of said exposure aperture and an inwardly directedcircumferential rib adjacent each open end thereof, means defining arear wall spaced from said intermediate wall member to provide a filmguideway between said chambers behind said exposure aperture, said rearwall having a forwardly projecting fiat rectangular surface slightlysmaller than said exposure aperture and aligned therewith to establish afiat film plane, and a film spool having flanges provided withcircumferential grooves in the peripheries thereof, said spool beingrotatably supported and axially located in said spool chamber by theengagement of said circumferential ribs with said grooves.

2. A film magazine for loading into a camera having forwardly extendingfirst and second chambers and rear Wardly extending hollow housing meansdisposed between said chambers and having a continuous rearwardlyprojecting rib defining an opening in communication with the housingmeans, said film magazine comprising:

(1) open body member means forming (a) a substantially semi-cylindricalfilm receptacale to: be received within said first chamber of saidcamera,

(12) a substantially semi-cylindrical spool receptacle to be receivedwithin said second chamber of said camera and having open ends,

(0) and an intermediate front wall member connecting said receptaclesand provided with an exposure aperture in alignment with said opening insaid camera, said front wall member having a rearwardly facing fiatsurface bounding said exposure aperture, and a forwardly directedcontinuous rib surrounding said exposure aperture for positioningcooperation with said continuous rearwardly projecting camera rib bycontiguous relation thereto when the magazine is loaded into saidcamera;

(2) cover member means comprising:

(a) means cooperating with said film receptacle to define a closedsubstantially cylindrical chamber with a passageway communicatingtherewith adjacent one side of said exposure aperture,

(b) means cooperating with said spool receptacle to define asubstantially cylindrical open-ended spool chamber having a passagewaycommunieating therewith adjacent the opposite side of said exposureaperture,

(0) and means defining a rear wall spaced from said intermediate frontwall member to provide a film guideway between said chambers behind saidexposure aperture, said rear wall having a forwardly projecting portionestablishing a substantially fiat area overlying said exposure apertureto provide a film plane;

(3) and a film spool having flange means, at least one of said open endsof the spool chamber having gui eway means cooperating with said spoolflange means to rotatably guide and axially locate said spool.

3. A factory-loaded molded plastic film magazine comprising:

first wall means defining a closed substantially cylindrical filmchamber and a passageway to the chamber;

a roll of film with light-protective backing paper connected thereto andwound therewith in said film chamber;

second wall means defining a substantially cylindrical open-ended spoolchamber and a passageway to the chamber and having radially inwardlydirected rib means on each end of said spool chamber;

an intermediate front wall member connecting said first and second wallmeans and provided with an exposure aperture, said front wall memberhaving a rearwardly facing surface surrounding said exposure aperture todefine a continuous slot thereabout;

an intermediate rear wall connecting said first and second wall maensand spaced from and cooperating with said intermediate front wall memberto provide a film guideway behind said exposure aperture and incommunication with said passageway to said film and spool chambers;

said intermediate rear wall having a forwardly projecting portionestablishing a substantially flat area behind said exposure aperture toprovide a film plane in cooperation with said intermediate front Wallmember;

said light-protective backing paper extending through said film guidewayfrom said film chamber over said rearwardly facing flat surface and saidexposure aperture of said intermediate front Wall member and into saidspool chamber;

and a rotatable film spool for pulling said light-protective backingpaper and film from said film chamber and along said film guidewayacross said exposure aperture when said spool is rotated to wind thebacking paper and film thereon, said spool having flanges, the peripheryof each of which is provided with a circumferential groove engaging saidrib means, and to which spool one end of said light-protective back ingpaper is attached, said spool being rotatably supported and axiallylocated in said spool chamber by the engagement of said rib means withsaid circumferential grooves;

said light-protective backing paper forming with said rearwardly facingflat surface of said intermediate front wall member, on the one hand,and with said forwardly projecting portion of said intermediate rearwall, on the other hand, light sealing means substantially restrictingthe entry of light through the exposure aperture into said guideway inthe direction of said chambers.

4. A factory-loaded molded plastic film magazine 50 comprising:

(1) a roll of film and light-protective backing paper connected thereto;

(2) open body member means forming (a) a substantially semi-cylindricalfilm receptacle for receiving said roll of film and light-protectivebacking paper,

(1)) a substantially semi-cylindrical spool receptacle with open endsprovided with at least one inwardly directed rib adjacent each endthereof,

(c) and an intermediate front wall member connecting said receptaclesand provided with an exposure aperture, said front wall member having arearwardly facing flat surface bounding said exposure aperture andforwardly facing surfaces surrounding said exposure aperture to define acontinuous slot thereabout;

(3) said light-protective backing paper extending from said filmreceptacle over said rearwardly facing flat surface and said exposureaperture of said intermediate front wall member and into said spoolreceptacle;

(4) cover member means comprising:

(a)means cooperating with said film receptacle to define a closedsubstantially cylindrical chamber for containing said roll of film andbacking a paper and provided with a passageway communicating therewithadjacent one side of said exposure aperture,

(1)) means cooperating with said spool receptacle to define asubstantially cylindrical open-ended spool chamber having a filmpassageway communicating therewith adjacent the opposite side of saidexposure aperture, and an inwardly directed rib adjacent each open endthereof,

(0) means defining a. rear wall spaced from said intermediate front wallmember to provide a film guideway between said chambers and behind saidexposure aperture, said rear wall having a forwardly projecting portionestablishing a substantially fiat area overlying said exposure apertureto provide a film plane;

(5) said rearwardly facing fiat surface adapted to engage and maintainthe film and backing paper when co-extensively disposed across saidexposure aperture in fiat supported engagement with said forwardlyprojecting portion;

(6) and a film spool having flanges provided with circumferentialgrooves in the peripheries thereof, said spool being rotatably supportedand axially located in said spool chamber by the engagement of saidcircumferential ribs with said grooves for pulling said light-protectivebacking paper and film from said film chamber and across said filmguideway when said spool is rotated to wind the backing paper and filmthereon;

(7) said light-protective backing paper forming with said rearwardlyfacing fiat surface, on the one hand, and with said forwardly projectingportion, on the other hand, a light sealing means substantiallyrestricting the entry of light from the exposure aperture between thelast-mentioned surface and portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,666,077 Victor Apr. 17, 1928 2,051,206 Fairbanks Aug. 18, 19362,169,548 Zapp Aug. 15, 1939 2,218,966 Zapp Oct. 22, 1940 2,381,033Bolsey Aug. 7, 1945 2,476,996 Nebel July 26, 1949 2,680,574 Grove June8, 1954 2,924,158 Kopp et al Feb. 9, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 14,490 GreatBritain 1908

1. A MOLDED PLASTIC FILM MAGAZINE COMPRISING: A BODY MEMBER DEFINING ASUBSTANTIALLY SEMI-CYLINDRICAL FILM RECEPTACLE WITH CLOSED ENDS, ASUBSTANTIALLY SEMI-CYLINDRICAL SPOOL RECEPTACLE WITH OPEN ENDS PROVIDEDWITH AN INWARDLY DIRECTED RIB ADJACENT EACH END THEREOF, AND ANINTERMEDIATE FRONT WALL MEMBER CONNECTING SAID RECEPTACLES AND PROVIDEDWITH AN EXPOSURE APERTURE, SAID FRONT WALL MEMBER HAVING A REARWARDLYDIRECTED FLAT SURFACE BOUNDING SAID EXPOSURE APERTURE AND FORWARDLYDIRECTED SURFACES SURROUNDING SAID EXPOSURE APERTURE TO DEFINE ACONTINUOUS SLOT THEREABOUT; A COVER MEMBER COMPRISING MEANS COOPERATINGWITH SAID FILM RECEPTACLE TO DEFINE A CLOSED SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICALCHAMBER WITH A PASSAGEWAY TANGENTIAL THERETO ADJACENT ONE SIDE OF SAIDEXPOSURE APERTURE, MEANS ON SAID COVER MEMBER COOPERATING WITH SAIDSPOOL RECEPTACLE TO DEFINE A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL